Have you ever confronted a situation where you download an application from a site other than Google Play Store such as APK Premiumz, iOSandAPKMod, using your chrome or any browser on your android phone and then you attempt to install the apk from the browser or file manager and then suddenly, you get the error, app not installed. This mostly happens when you attempt to install apk files from 3rd party sources other than Google Play Store.
This happened to me when I downloaded PUBG Mobile Mod Game and Fortnite Mod APK from APK Premiumz and I faced the app not installed problem. This isn't because the APK file is corrupted no, but because of some reasons, the APK might not be recognized by the android phone.
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This happens when the app is downloaded from another source other than official app market and then installed in the phone. For some reasons, the phone will not recognize the apk and is mostly due to the incompatibility of the android version to the apk.
It can also be due to security features enabled on the phone that do not allow installation from unknown sources. It doesn't matter if you are using a Huawei phone, LG or any other mark.
This same app not installed error can be experienced when you receive an apk or game from xender on your android phone and that the apk is incompatible with your android version (we talk of android version 9, 10, 11 and above) and also due to security features enhanced on these latest android versions.
However, that will no longer be a problem for you as in this guide, I will show you how to fix the app not installed error that occurs when you try to install an apk from unknown sources such as xender or any other third party app installed on your android phone.
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How Does App Not Installed Error Occurs in and Affects Android Phones ?
This problem persists more these days as many applications and apk loss support from highly rated android phone with higher versions. And as such, developers need to constantly update their applications for it to be supported by these new android versions.
At times, it can also be due to corrupted apk files or insufficient space, we will see more of that below. All of these will make your phone to report the app not installed problem on your android phone. Remedying these issues can fix the problem but in most cases, the phone can't just support the apk in any form.
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How does this affects your android phone? Well if the app is not an important and frequently used app by you, then that won't be a problem for you and it will not affect you in anyway. However, if the app is one important one to you, you will need to look for an android device that can support the app and run it normally.
Let's look into details the major causes of the app not installed problem that most android users face today.
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5 Possible Causes of App Not Installed Error on Android
We have highlighted 5 possible causes of the app not installed problem that you may face on your android device. We believe it may be the major causes that cause this error to happen and some of which you might not know you can easily handle. However, before any solution can be provided, it is always good to know of the possible causes in order to see how you can fix the issue.
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1. Corrupted APK and Files
This is the major cause of such an issue. If you download the apk from an unknown source where apk files are being shared without being checked for broken apk files, then you will probably face this issue. That is why it is very important you make sure you trust a certain site before downloading files from it.
In a situation where it is a mod app or game, in the process of assembling the different mods in a game or app, the dev might have not properly done so and then it will result to broken or corrupted apk files.
It can also occur when you receive an apk file shared by your friend using Xender, Bluetooth or any sharing method and the file wasn't properly shared. Obviously, the apk will be corrupted.
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2. Insufficient System Permissions
At times due apk files might not be installed and you will face the common error. This happens because the installation source you are using to install the apk from doesn't have the required permission to install the app.
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3. Insufficient System Storage
Every apk requires a certain amount of storage space to install all of its packages. If your phone doesn't have enough storage space required by the apk to be properly installed, it will probably not install the app or game.
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4. Unsigned Apps
Generally, all apps are set to be signed by the developers with a Keystore. A keystone is a signature assigned to all apps (original versions not mods) when they are made available in the app market. When these apps are modified for cheats, the Keystone and signature will be removed and then Google Play will not recognize the app. This intelligence from Google Play is thanks to a specific feature known as Play protect that recognizes all signed and rejects unsigned apps.
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5. Incompatible App Version
When you attempt to download an app or game that wasn't designed for your current android version, the app will obviously not install. Even if it installs, the app will quite when ever you attempt to launch it. It isn't your phone the problem here, nor the app having an issue but it is due to incompatibility between these two. This is the case when you attempt to download mod apk and game files from sites that don't provide versions for all possible android versions.
That's why I love downloading my mods and premium apps freely from APK Premiumz because for some apps that have compatibility issues, each mod versions for specific android versions are made available for download.
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6 Ways Fix App Not Installed Error or Problem on Android
The solutions below generalizes all the problems listed above and I will recommend you to apply a fix after the other for better results. Don't pick a fix and say this one is the fix for my own problem. The app not installed problem lies here for everyone using an android device.
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Fix 1: Enable Unknown Sources
By default this setting is generally switched off on any android device by the manufacturer. Even when you reset your phone to factory default settings, it will be toggled off if you once turned it on.
As such, all apk files download from 3rd party websites will not be able to be installed on your android device. However, apps downloaded from google play store are not concerned here since it is the official app market for every android phone.
On some latest android versions as from Android version 9, each app can be given access to install apk file download from any website. However, we can give a general access to any app.
To install download and shared apps from your phone storage, you need to turn this function on. Follow the steps below to turn it on:
- On your mobile device, open System Settings
- Navigate to Security Settings
- Now Locate Installation from Unknown Sources and toggle that On.
- Now head back and install the app from where it is located.
However, if you want to grant this permission to specific apps, then you will need to do as follows:
- Download the apk using any browser of your choice (preferably chrome browser)
- Now click on the apk file once it has finished downloading.
- On the installation screen, your a message will popup saying "For your security, your phone is not allowed to install unknown apps from this source". Just below that, click on Settings.
- On the next screen shown to you, click on "Allow from this source".
- Then head back and install the your downloaded apk file.
However, if this didn't work for you, then consider checking out the other solutions to this problem below.
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Fix 2: Reset your App Preferences
App preferences are the default preference settings that your apps run with. For some reasons, the app preferences for some apps might change and in order to fix it, you will need to reset these app preferences.
Follow the steps below to reset your app preferences:
- Open your System settings.
- Click on Apps & notifications.
- Now Click on See all x apps. (x) here is the number of apps installed on your android phone.
- Now click on the 3 dot icon at the top right corner of your screen and click on Reset app preferences.
- A Popup will appear saying Reset app preferences? Just click on "RESET APPS".
- This will reset all the app settings to default and also those app settings you might have accidentally accessed without knowing and fixing the app not installed issue.
- Now head back to the apk file and install it. If you are confronted with the unknown source screen, just do as shown in the first fix above and this should fix the app not installed problem.
If that didn't still work for you, then continue with the other fixes below.
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Fix 3: Disable Google Play Protect
Google Play Protect is a security feature every android phone benefits from Google Play which blocks installation of untrusted apps downloaded from 3rd party sites. At times this Play protect just does it too much till the extent that it blocks even apps which are not corrupted or harmful for the android phone.
So temporarily disabling Play protect will help to install the apk without facing the app not installed error on android.
Follow the steps below to disable Play Protect on Android:
- Open Google Play Store on your Android device
- Click on your account image to access its settings.
- Now on the account profile popup, select Play Protect
- Now click on the gear icon to access the Play Protect Settings.
- And toggle of Scan apps with Play Protect. Upon turning this off, you will be shown a popup with headline Turn off app scanning? Just click on Turn off to turn this off.
- Now head back and install the apk file you want to install and you won't face that app not installed problem and your installation will be successful.
Important!
Don't forget to Turn on Play Protect once you've installed your desired apk file since it really helps in tampering harmful apps on your Android device. This feature is really important for the security of any android phone our there.
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Fix 4: Avoid Installation To and From SD Card or External Storage
Installing an application or apk from an external storage or SD card can be a great factor that influences this issue. However, this is usually faced in old android phones will low android versions where you can set the default installation location to your likeness.
If you attempt to install the apk from a corrupted SD card, it will won't install because the installation directory is corrupted.
To fix this, copy the apk file to your internal storage and attempt the installation. However, your default installation location should be your Internal storage since your SD card or external storage is damaged or corrupted.
If applying the above fixes didn't help you install your desired apk, then know that the problem is not coming from the phone but from the apk itself. it might be either due to incompatibility issues or signature related issues. However, it doesn't mean we can't fix that. We will fix that with the help of some 3rd party applications that will help us modify the app source and make it compatible for our android device. Let's see that in the other fixes below.
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Fix 5: Changing App Source Codes
Changing the app source can help in fixing the app because we will somehow upgrade the app to the compatible requirement level demanded by our android device.
However, for this to be possible, we will need APK Editor Pro which you can download from here.
Follow the steps below to modify the app source using APK Editor Pro:
- Once you've download APK Editor Pro, open it and click on APK File or App depending where your app is located. However, I recommend you to select Apk File since the app is not yet installed.
- Now locate the apk that you are trying to install from your device storage. Once you find the app, click on it and then in the Edit Mode that will popup, select "Common Edit".
- Now we can play around with the app basics such as Launcher icon, Name, Package Name, Install Location, Version Code etc. What interest us the most here is the Install Location and Version Code.
- In the Install Location section, select Internal Only or Auto (OS Make Decision).
- Now change the Version Code to your likeness. But make sure you enter a higher value than that the app already had.
Changing the version code will make the app appear new or as an update of the one that was previously rejected by your android device and as such, this will increase its chances of installation on your android phone.
- Once you done with your edits, click on Save to save the changes you applied to the app.
- Now head back and delete any other version of the app already existing on your phone or anything that relates someway to the app.
- Locate and install the modified version of the app and this should work like charm and install the apk without any errors.
If you still face the app not install apk error on your android phone, then you got to try out the last ultimate fix below.
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Fix 6: Attributing a Signature to the App
If the apk wasn't installed after the above 5 solutions to this issue, then its the signature that is a problem here. The app doesn't have a signature to be recognized and identified by your android phone. So what you have to do is to sign the app using another application which will make the app to be recognized by your android phone.
We will be using an app known as apk-signer. Download the app from here.
Follow the below steps to sign an apk file:
- Once you've downloaded and installed apk-signer, open the app.
- Now click on SIGN A File.
- Locate the APK you face difficulties in installing, then click on it.
- Now select where you want the newly signed apk to be located. Then click Save.
- Now a Signing Task will be opened in the apk-signer app which will be that signing your APK.
- Now you can click on the APK to install it from apk-signer.
- You will be shown the popup below. Just click SETTINGS and toggle on Allow from this source in the next screen.
- That's it, your apk file has been successfully installed on your android phone and you have just solved the app not installed problem you once faced on your android phone.
Final Thoughts on How to Fix App Not Installed Error on Android Phone
This is a very common issue as many new android versions are being released all the time and as such apps become incompatible to these versions ad without proper updates, the apps will report app not not installed problem on these android phones.
However, we also saw how corrupted apk files and many other things could be the cause of this error.
Generalizing out all the possible causes, we showed you how you can easily fix these app not installed error on any android phone you might be using. Each fixes are to be done step by step as the problem will not be that worst on many other android phones.
Apply the fixes above on your android phone and I am very sure that you will get rid of the app not installed problem on your android phone.
However, you can comment to us your results out of these fixes in the comment section below. You can as well Join our Telegram chat for more assistance on whatever issue you might be facing.
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